SPEECH 




r\ 





OF 


WILLIAM MEDILL, OF OHI 

ON THE APPROPRIATION BILL. 



In the House of Representatives, April 5, 1812,—In 

Committee of the Whole on the state of the 

Union, 

The “bill making appropriations for the civil and 
diplomatic expenses of the Government for the year 
itM2,” being under consideration— 

Mr. MEDILL moved to strike out the following 
item; 

‘ No. 137.—For the salary of the Governor of Wisconsin Ter 
vitory, as Governor, one thousand five hundred dollars; as Su¬ 
perintendent of Indian Afiairs, one thousand dollars; being in 
0.11 two thousand five hundred dollars.” 

Mr, J, R. Ingersoll raised the question w^hether 
this amendment was in orderl The whole appro¬ 
priation was distinctly provided for by the l‘aw es- 
iublishing the Territorial Government of Wiscon¬ 
sin. 

The Chairman said he understood the committee 
to have the power to withhold or stri ke out any ap¬ 
propriation, whether provided for by law or not. 
And the Chairman, therefore, ruled the motion to be 
in order. 

Mr. Medill said, that the motion which he had 
submitted was rather of an unusual character, but 
one which, in his opinion, was warranted by the pow¬ 
er and authority pfthe House. He could not call to 
his recollection, it was true, any particular precedent 
prior to the present session of Congress; but within 
a few days past the committee had entertained and 
considered a motion by the gentleman from North 
Carolina (Mr, Stanly) to strike out from this bill 
the salary of the First Auditor of the Treasury De¬ 
partment, upon the alleged ground, that when he 
came into office, several years ago, he omitted to 
make certain entries in relation to custom-house 
bonds that seem to have been required by law. 
Though admitted to be a man of unsuspected in¬ 
tegrity and high qualifications, this omission was 
sought to be tortured into an offence of so heinous a 
character as to call for his removal through the 
operations of a process which had seldom, if ever, 
before been resorted to; when, in truth and in fact, 
the duty so neglected was of so trivial and unim¬ 
portant a nature as to have escaped,, in like manner, 
the notice of his predecessor, and was resumed by 
the present Auditor the moment he became aware 
that it was in any degree essential, or required at 
his hands. Some time has also been spent in the 
discussion of a motion by the gentleman from Ken¬ 
tucky, (Mr. Owsley,) to strike out the salary allow¬ 
ed by law to the person whose duty it is made to 
sign the President’s name to the patents which are 
issued to the purchasers of the public lands, and 


who, in the present instance, is the President’s son— 
a young man of talents and unexceptionable char¬ 
acter—for the reason, among others, that the Presi¬ 
dent should be required to discharge the duty him¬ 
self. He did not propose to inquire into the propri¬ 
ety of those particular motions, or whether the 
reasons upon which they were professedly predi¬ 
cated are sufficient to justify the committee in with¬ 
holding from officers the salaries to which they 
would otherwise be entitled; but he would avail 
himself of the precedent which had been thus af¬ 
forded him, though he should fail in the motion, to 
expose to the indignation of an abused and insulted 
people some of those loathsome and degraded beings 
who have recently crept into office by concealing 
their dishonest practices under the garb of hypoc¬ 
risy, or^ the still more disgraceful means of pan¬ 
dering tl^he avarice and insatiable wants of one 
whose favor and official influence are held up as 
legitimate objects of traffic. 

Of the power of the House of Representatives to 
Withhold appropriations for the payment of the sal¬ 
aries of officers, he had no doubt; but was of opinion 
that it should never be exercised except u^i^xf^^V ^ 
ordinary occasions. Should%ross corrupHJjpMMT 
into the Executive departments of Government, and - 
that corruption lead to the appointment of wicked 
and dishonest men to offices of high trust and re¬ 
sponsibility among the people, in what better way 
can the Representatives of those people remove the 
evil and arrest the demoralizing consequences, than 
by closing the avenues to the public Treasury, and ‘ 
withholding the aliment that is necessary to their 
existence. All appropriations must originate with 
the immediate Representatives of the people, whom 
the Constitution has made the especial guardians of 
the national purse; and will it be contended that 
they may not refuse supplies for purposes which, 
in their judgment, are destructive of public liberty, 
though demanded by the co-ordinate Departments 
of the Governments The power of making treaties, 
as well as appointments to office, is vested by the 
Constitution in the President and Senate of the 
United States, and which are expressly declared to 
be the “ supreme law of the land.” Yet when the 
celebrated treaty of Mr. Jay had been concluded in 
. 1795, we have seen the appropriations which were 
necessary to carry it into effect resisted by a 
Jefferson, a Madison, and a Gallatin. The for¬ 
mer, while President of the United States, com¬ 
municated all his treaties to the House of Rep¬ 
resentatives whenever an appropriation was ne¬ 
cessary for the fulfilment of their stipulations. 



' W 






I 


Even the Commons' of Great Britain claim the 
right of disbanding armies and terminating wars by 
the power of withholding supplies; and in France 
we have just heard of the Deputies of the people 
arresting a most unholy alliance on the part of that 
Government. But this power of the House, as be¬ 
fore remarked, to withhold the salary of a regularly 
comstituted agent of the Government, should only 
be resorted to in cases of great injustice and most 
wanton disregard of the public interest; and such 
he would show the case under consideration at this 
time to be. 

Young communities, like children, are liable to 
be afiected by the influence of evil example; and 
the elevation of men of notoriously bad character 
to power and place is one of the very strongest in- 


Ci. I 


centives to vice. He could not, therefore, as a 
Western man, interested by all his associations and 
sympathies in the prosperity and happiness of a 
young, a noble, and a thriving community, about 
to emerge into existence as a sovereign and sister 
State, give even the countenance to this man that 
an appropriation for his salary would imply. The 
Governor of a Territory should possess the confi¬ 
dence of the people over whose interests and des¬ 
tiny he may exert an abiding influence, at least in 
his honesty and integrity of character; but so far 
from this being the case in Wisconsin, the present 
Executive is almost universally regarded as a man 
who is every way corrupt—a base intriguer, and 
a swindling speculator. And if he should not wit¬ 
ness the success of his motion to strike out the ap¬ 
propriation in question, he would have the satisfac¬ 
tion of believing that he had rendered some service- 
to the country by exposing to view the iniquities of 
a man who, by unworthy and improper means, had; 
been elevated to office over an honest ^d high- 
minded people, and thereby direct public attention 
to the character of those who are now placed in 
power. 

The iniquitous career of this Governor of Wis¬ 
consin commenced as early as 1828, while he waS 
ajudge qf the United States district court at Green 
e was charged before President Jackson 
g attempt# to defraud the Government 
in relatiTfii to a g]^ant of certain lands at Green Bay 
He managed by some means to become the agen’ 
of a number of the old French inhabitants at that 
place, and made out a claim for each one to a cer 
tain tract of land, agreeably to the provisions of 
certain laws which had been previously passed 
in favor of claimants at Green Bay, Prairie du 
Chien, Detroit, &c. For this service he was 
to receive from each claimant one undivided 
fourth part of all the claims that he should succeec 
in getting allowed by Congress; and to secure this 
very liberal fee, he took care to draw up a deed, 
and obtained the signatures and acknowledgment of 
the claimants thereto, in which they severally 
made over, and confirmed to him, an undivided 
fourth part of the lots which they claimed ; all the 
lots being numbered and designated in the deed 
which was in his own handwriting, and procured 
the same to be recorded in the appropriate office at 
Green Bay. But not content with the extravagant 
fee which he had thus secured in prospect, he frau¬ 
dulently sought to enhance it by increasing the 
number of claimants, and actually discovered a pro¬ 
cess which enabled him to make two claimants out 
of one. To effect this, he selected two honest but 
ignorant natives—one named Joseph Boisvert, the 
other Francis Meldrum; each of these, in his pro 
per name, claimed a tract, and conveyed to Judge 


Doty, as aforesaid, a fourth part of his claim. Then, 
changing their names to Joseph Greenwood and 
Francis Laventure, two other tracts are claimed, 
and deeds made in like manner to i\\\s judicial at¬ 
torney. Having entered into these arrangements, 
and prepared his papers, he left the Territorial 
courts, hastened to this city, and succeeded in the 
speculation so far as to get a bill reported, making 
provision for the claimants in question, when a 
gentleman at Green Bay exposed his operations to 
the Government, and prostrated all his hopes. Pre¬ 
sident Jackson nominated another person to his 
place; Congress rejected the claims; and thus the 
judgeship and prospective fees were lost at the same 
time. These facts will appear by a reference to the 
deeds and other testimony which, 1 learn, have been 
olaced in the hands of President Tyler. 

Some time in the spring of 183G, he entered, jointly 
with Stevens T. Mason, then Governor of Michi¬ 
gan, the lands upon which the capital of Wisconsin 
Territory now stands. On the 1st of May, 1836, 
Doty conveyed his entire interest therein to Mason, 
for a valuable consideration. During the autumn 
following, he attended the Legislative Assembly, 
and, to the very great surprise of the good people of 
the Territory, succeeded in procuring this same land 
to be selected as a site for the future seat of Govern¬ 
ment. As the means by which he is charged with 
having effected this object might be so construed as 
to reflect on others, I do not propose to allude to 
them here. The moment it was determined, how- 
r, that the seat of Government should be lo¬ 
cated at Madison, Doty commenced disposing of 
the lots, under the false pretence that he was 
still in co-partnership with Mason, and was duly 
authorized, moreover, by that gentleman, to sell and 
convey the same; thus imposing on purchasers, and 
placing in jeopardy the very titles and property of 
the Territory. When exposed, he endeavored to 
palliate this flagrant outrage on the rights of the com¬ 



munity by asserting that there was a private un¬ 
derstanding between himself and Mason, that he 
was to act as the agent of the latter; but which as¬ 
sertion was promptly met and denied by Mason, 
who published him in the papers of the day as a 
BASE AND infamous SWINDLER. Testimony tending 
to establish these facts is also, I am told, at the com¬ 
mand of the President. 

But, sir, I proceed to show, from documents and 
testimony now before me—the truth and sufficiency 
of which 1 think no one will question—that this Jas. 
D. Doty, for whom we are called upon to make this 
appropriation of S2,500 from the Treasury of the 
people, was, at the time of his appointment as Gov¬ 
ernor, and still is, a public defaulter to a much 
larger amount—and that, too, under circumstances 
of unmitigated villany and moral turpitude. Con¬ 
gress, upon the organization of the Territory, ap¬ 
propriated some S40,000 for the erection of a state- 
house and such other buildings as were necessary 
for the transaction of the public business. The 
same Legislature that selected the site for the seat 
of the Territorial Government, appointed James D. 
Doty, John F. O’Neill, and Augustus A. Bird, com¬ 
missioners to prepare the necessary plans and su¬ 
perintend the erection of said buildings. Doty be¬ 
came the TREASURER, and received from the United 
States the S40,000 which had been appropriated by 
Congress for the use of the Territory. 'The com- 

in schemes of private 


missioners soon 


engaged 


speculation, establishing a store, a stenm mill, and 
various other enterprises, upon the money of the 
people, and carried on the same in the name of 




3 


James Morrison, a pliant tool whom they employed 
to erect the state-house, and with whom they se¬ 
cretly entered into PARTNERSHIP. The public build- 
in^ ol course were neglected, and James D. Doty 
1 ? profitable invcsiinent for the 
lunds that had been placed in their hands. Doty 
an IS partners were removed from office bvffhe 
Legi-ffature in 1838-’9 by an almost unanimous 
refused to render any account of their 
public transactions while in the service of the Ter- 
ritory. But 1 send to the €hair a copy of the jour¬ 
nal ot the House of Representatives of the second 
Assembly of Wisconsin, (session of 
•iJ-40 ) and will request the Clerk to read the re¬ 
port made to that Assembly upon the subject. 

Committee, on Public Buildings: 
forrii Public Baildings, to whom was re- 

1 message as relates to the sub- 

ject, respectfully subiuit the fallowing report: 

fhfijaw of Cotteress organizing the Territory, the 
sum of twenty rhottsanri dollars was appropriated for the’erec 
t onof publ^ buildings attheseatofGovernment; ami by ano- 
«rCongr.ess, appmved .Tune 18th, 1838, the additional 
1 f t wenty thousand dollars was appropriated lowar's the 
completion of said buildings ; making, in the whole, the sum of 
tony thousand dollars, appropriated by Congress for the erec- 
non of the public buiMingK of the Territory—a sum, in the opin¬ 
ion of your committee, if it had been judiciously expended, 
amply f u^cient for the erection of siicli buildings as the present 
•wantsofthe Territory require. 

“By an act of the Leeislative Assembly of the Terr’tory, ap 
proved December 3d, 1836, the town of Madison wa* fixed upor 
as Uie permanent seat of Government of the Territory, and the 
public buildings were aiiihorized to be erected there; and, in 
nu^uanceof the provi.sinns of that act, .lames D. Doty, .John 
r. O Neiil, and Autrtistus A. Bird, were appointed commif'sion- 
ers, and a variety of duties were enjoined »ipon them. 

■ f r ■ were required to cause the necessary public 

ouildinss to be erected at the said town of Madison, for the ac¬ 
commodation of the Assembly and other officers of the Territo¬ 
rial Government. 

“2d. They were required to asreo upon a plan of said build¬ 
ings, and issue proposals giving due notice thereof, and contract 
for the erection of said buildings without delay. 

“3d. They were required to elect one of their number trea- 
-Burer, whose duty it was made to draw from the Tre.asury of 
the United States such sum or sums of money as had been, or 
might thereafter be, appropriated by Congress towards the 
erection of the public buildings for the use of said Territory. 

_ “iSome minor duties were also enjoined upon them, which it 
If deemed unnecessary fn a<!vert to. 

“The first of these duties had been but partially performed. 
Although more than two years had elapsed from the time the 
commissioners were elected until they were superseded, and al¬ 
though they were supplied with funds that were more than am¬ 
ple for il>e erection of suitable buildings, yet, at the time of the 
election ofthe new cominissinners, they had done little more than 
erect a shell of a capitol, which is scarcely capable of sustain¬ 
ing its own w’eight, and which, unless it is speedily secured by 
extensive repait.s, must become a heap of ruins. 

“The second duly of tiie commissioners, as laid clown in the 
act from which they derive their authority, was, without delay, 
to issue proposals, and contract for the erection of said Imilding. 
What will be the surprise of all who expect from their public 
servants a faithful and prompt discharge of their duties, upon 
learning that these commissioners, according to their own ac¬ 
count, expended $12,000 in raising the building as high as the 
water-table—work which is estimated to be worth only $5,154; 
—and that they made no contract, as they were required by the 
law to do, until the 27th of April, 1838—more than sixteen 
Dionihs after their apnointment. 

“The remaining duty to which your committee have ad- 
verte<i—ihat ofelecting a treasurer and drawing the money—ap¬ 
pears to have been attended to with move promptitude: for, 
however negligent the commissioners may have been in the 
discharge of their duties, thnv seem not for a moment to have 
lost sight of iheir rights; for it appears that as soon as the com¬ 
missioners liad entered upon the discharge of their duties, .Tas. 
D. Doty was appointed treasurer, and .Augustus A. Bird acting 
commi.ssioner; and Mr. Doty received from the Treasurer of 
the United States the whole of both the appropriations made by 
Congress. The first inquiry that naturally pre.sents itself is, 
what disposition has been made of this large sum of money, 
whicli was designed by Congress to be expended solely in the 
erection of buildings for the accommodation of the people of 
the Territory, and their representatives? Your committee re¬ 
gret that they have not been able to arrive at anv satisfactory 
lesult opoiuhis subject, and that the unaccountable and unpre¬ 


cedented refusal of these agents of the people to submit their 
accounts for examination and settlement, has deprived your 
committee of the only correct means of asceitaining, with any 
degree of certainly, in what manner that money has been ex¬ 
pended; and they are obliged to content themselves with stating 
III what manner it lias not been expended. 

“Avery slight ^examination of tlie results of the doings of 
these commissioners is sufficient to satisfy any one that it has 
not been expended where the law intended it should be; to wit: 
in the erection of the public buildings. Upon the most liberal 
c.stimate of the buildings which have been erected at Madison, 
they cannot have expended more than $ 19,000 in the erection of 
them, which would leave in their hands a balance ef $21,000 
unexpended. At the last session of the Legislature a law was 
passed repealing the act under which the first commissioners 
held their office, and providing for the appointment, annually, 
of commissioners on public buildings; and requiring them to 
settle with the formei board their accounts, and requiring the 
old board to deliver over to the new ail money, books, papers, 
vouchers, and other property in their possession belonging to 
the Territory. The former commissioners, not content with 
having withheld a large proportion of the money which prop¬ 
erly belonged to the Territory, denied the right of the Legisla¬ 
ture to pass any law which should operate to remove 'them 
from office, and refused to settle with the new board, or to pay 
over to them any part of the money in their hands. The new 
commissioners, for the purpose of testing the pretensions set 
up by the old. made application to the district court for the 
coiiniy of Iowa fora writ of mandamus. The question was 
argued at length before that court, and the grounds taken by 
the old commissioners decided lobe altogether untenable; but 
S'ill, as the power of granting that writ was reserved alone to 
the supreme court of the Territory, it was not granted. 

“Your committee look upon the conduct of the commis¬ 
sioners as reprehensible in the highest degree, and such 
as should justly bring upon them the censure of all 
who desire to see the laws of our country upheld 
and enforced. That sensible men should assume that 
the same power which created their office could not 
destroy it. appears to your committee so perfectly preposter¬ 
ous. that they cannot avoid the conclusion that the commission¬ 
ers must have been actuated, in taking that ground, by a dasign 
to keep tlie people in ignorance of their doings; and, indeed, 
their whole proceedings, from the time they first entered upon 
the di.»char?e of their duties, seem to support that conclusion; 
and, taken in connexion with other facts, to which your com¬ 
mittee will not at present advert, cannot fail to convince the unbi- 
as.srri ih 't there has been, for a long time past, a secret copart¬ 
nership existing between James D. Doty, John F. O^'Neill, and 
Augustus A. Bird, the late commissioners, and James Morrisoil, 
the contractor, by which they were to share in the profits or 
loss resulting from Morrison’s contrtict, as well also as of the 
mercantile and other business at Madison, that was conducted 
ostensibly hy Morrison. 

“By a reference to the facts set forth in the accompanying 
documents, it will he seen how far your committee are borne 
out in the views they have been constrained to adopt. For 
further particulars your committee beg leave to refer to docu¬ 
ments marked A, B, C, and D. 

“Your committee would fail to discharge the duty assigned 
them, were they to omit stating the satisfactory manner m 
which the new board of commissioners have performed the du¬ 
ties enjoined upon them. The first and most important waste* 
procure a settlement with their predeces.sors;—they appear to 
have used every exertion to effect that object, and to have fail¬ 
ed in all their efforts. As the only alternative left them, they 
have, in pursuance of law, commenced suits in the name of 
the Territory to recover from the old board the money in their 
hands. It is further to be remarked, that the new commission¬ 
ers found ilie capitol in an unfinished state, and that the con- 
trac'or manifested but little disposition to complete it, or even 
to put it in a suitable condition ffir the Legislative As.sembly to 
meet in it. The pre.sent board had not in their possession any 
of the public money to prepare the capitol for the reception of 
the Legislative Assembly, and they magnanimously advancetl 
to the Territory, from their own funds, such sum as was neces¬ 
sary fur the purpose; ajid the disposition they have evinced, on 
all occasions, to promf>te the interest of the Territory, entitles 
them, in the opinion of your committee, to the approbation of 
all; and they hope, the Legi.slature will appropriate to them such 
sums as will amply tcmuneiate them for the money they have 
advanced, and a liberal compensation for their services.” 

Sir, these charges of copartnership between the 
commi.ssioners and contractor—of criminal neglect 
of duty—of defalcation, and subsequent disregard 
of law—are all clearly established by the testimony 
which accompanies the report, but which I will 
not detain the committee by reading at this time. 
Infamous as they appear, however, they are far 
surpassed in criminality by others which have 





4 


^own out of the same transactions. Suits were 
immediately brought, and are now pending in the 
courts of Wisconsin, against this man and his co¬ 
adjutors, O’Niell, Bird, and Morrison, for the mo¬ 
ney which they received from the United Slates 
and withheld from the people of the Territory. 
The suits were commenced while Doty was a De¬ 
legate on this floor; and it will be recollected by 
many who now hear me, that he sought to abate 
them and evade responsibility by urging on Con¬ 
gress the passage of a joint resolution, which was 
covertly designed to repeal the Territorial laws 
which rendered him liable as a defaulting commis- 
sioner, and under the provisions of which the suits 
had been instituted. Failing in this, he resorted to 
another expedient t6 avoid the result of these suits, 
which are expected to be tried during the present 
month, and to which I desire especially to call the 
attention of the committee and the whole country. 
Being clothed with the executive power of the 
Territory, he determined upon the removalof every 
man from office whom he believed to stand in the 
way of his corrupt and fraudulent purposes, and 
filling their places with the miserable partners of 
his own crimes. R, L. Ream, the Territorial Trea¬ 
surer, was removed, and Javies Morrison substi 
tuted in his place. The sheriff of the county in 
which the suits aforesaid are pending was dis¬ 
placed, and the office conferred upon Augustus A. 
Bird. Still, not deeming himself entirely secure 
against a verdict by a “jury of his peers,” he re¬ 
moved the Attorney General of the Territory, and 
called to that high trust the very individual whom 
he had previously employed and feed to defend 
him against these identical claims on the part of 
the Territory. Thus is he enabled to bid defiance 
to the laws and judicial tribunals of the country. 
A friend, recipient of office, and feed attorney, has 
the direction of the suits; a co-defendant and part¬ 
ner executes the process of the court; and another 
defaulter and co-defendant is to receive and receipt 
for the judgment! Is it possible that conduct like 
this can be tolerated in one of the Territories of 
this Union'? But there are other circumstances of 
high criminality involved in the removal of the 
TREASURER. That officer, by the laws of the Terri¬ 
tory, is appointed for two years, and, being the de¬ 
positary of the public funds, is not subject to be dis¬ 
placed except upon impeachment. 

To effect this object, however, and at the same 
time to avoid the consequences of the excitement 
which he expected to follow, the Governor issued 
a proclamation, under the test and solemnities of 
the “ GREAT SEAL,” of course, declaring that it did 
not appear that R. L. Ream had ever entered into 
bond, or taken the oath required by law, when in 
truth he had the bond in his possession at the very 
time. The matter was inquired into by the Legis¬ 
lative Assembly of the Territory, at their last sit¬ 
ting; and the execution and approval of the bond, 
and its subsequent delivery to the order of Doty, 
upon his induction into office, by the secretary of 
the former Governor, clearly established; while the 
fact of qualifying is actually shown by the execu¬ 
tive journal itself! 

I propose, in the next place, to call the attention 
of the committee to the financial skill and tact of 
this man, that they may see how far he should be 
intrusted with the rights and interests of a young, 
industrious, and virtuous community. 

The Legislative Assembly of the Territory 
granted a charter for the establishment of a bank 
at Mineral Point, which was afterwards amended 


by Congress, (all charters of the kind being subject 
to the approval and modification of Congress be¬ 
fore they can go into operation,) so as to require 
the payment upon stock of one hundred thousand 
dollars in specie, before the institution should com¬ 
mence the transaction of business. 

When the commissioners opened the books for 
the subscription of stock in the spring of 1837, it 
seems that James D, Doty was prepared to buy up 
nearly the whole amount, by means of a certificate 
of deposite which he had received from the cashier 
of a banking concern at Green Bay; w'hich concern,, 
as w^ell as the cashier, was believed to be under his 
own control. This certificate of the cashier pro¬ 
fessed to show’^ that Doty had paid into the bank at 
Green Bay, called the Wisconsin Bank, the sum of 
#20,000, and which he succeeded in turning over tO' 
the commissioners of the bank at Mineral Point. 
What means he employed to induce the commis¬ 
sioners to receive this certificate in payment, or 
even as a pledge for the payment of stock, it is no 
part of my present object to inquire. Ten per cent, 
upon the amount subscribed w^as all that was re¬ 
quired to be paid down. A provision of the char¬ 
ter, however, required that the bank should go into 
operation before the expiration of a year, and dur¬ 
ing the summer the subscribers w’ere called upon 
to pay in a sufficient number of instalments to make 
up the necessary capital to commence the transac¬ 
tion of business. Aboard of directors for the con¬ 
cern was chosen, and, as might have been expected, 
James D. Doty, who had thus managed to monopo¬ 
lize the stock, was appointed the of the same. 

In this capacity, and as principal owner, he com¬ 
menced the manufacture of an irresponsible curren¬ 
cy, and soon placed, the bank in a situation that en¬ 
abled him to filch from the hard-wwking miners 
and farmers of the country the earnings of their 
industry and toil—and that, too, without capital of his 
own, without a dollar of specie, or even a sufficient 
quantity of “ wild cat” or “ red dog” to represent the 
stock that w’^as required by law to be paid in. How 
was this accomplished'? There are members here 
wiio will doubtless recollect the astonishment with 
wffiich they witnessed an attempt on the part of this 
Doty at the session of 1838-’9, Avhile serving as a 
Delegate of the Territory, to nullify a resolution 
wffiich had been passed by this body, with a view of 
instituting an inquiry into the solvency and condi¬ 
tion of certain banks, the bills of wffiich were re¬ 
ceived for public lands. For the edification of the 
committee, and to show'the peculiar qualifications 
and high claims of this man to be the chief execu¬ 
tive officer of a law-abiding people, I will read a 
letter which he w'rote on the occasion to Mr. Wood¬ 
bury, the Secretary of the Treasury: 

-“Washington, January 2. J839. 

“Sir : I perceive, in the pioceeriings of Congress on the Slat 
of December, that Mr. Jones, of Wisconsin, introduced a re¬ 
solution into the House, requiring the Secretary of the Trea¬ 
sury to make certain inquiries in relation to the banks of Wis¬ 
consin. 

“Mr. Jones is not the delegate from Wisconsin ; and any act 
of his. as such, will be deemed invalid, and, therefore, disre¬ 
garded. 

“The banks of the Territory owe nothing to the Government; 
neither are they responsible, in any way, to it. 1 am satisfied, 
therefore, asthe procecdinv is illegal, fluy ought not to submit 
to the examination projiosed. The object seems to Ite to im¬ 
pair, during their investigation, their standing with the public, 
which is more malicious than just. 

“1 am, sir, with much respect, «&c. 

“J. D. DOl Y ” 

Mr. Woodbury ackuowledged the receipt of this 
letter, tran.smitted to Mr. Doty a copy of the reso¬ 
lution, (not agreeing, I suppose, wuth that gentleman 




5 


that a solemn act of Congress "was affected by the 
right of the mover to his seat,) and called for any in¬ 
formation that he might feel disposed to impart. 
Receiying no reply, Air. Woodbun' again wrote 
to him, desiring information upon 'the subject of 
these banks. On the 5th, Doty enclosed him the 
garters of the banks at Green Bay and ^lineral 
Point, with a note, which concludes as follows: 

■•I am in possession of no iniormaiioo in rclaiion to the reso¬ 
lution of Congre^ which you have done me the honor to en¬ 
close to me ; andii 1 had, I should decline presentins it to Con¬ 
gress under ;hai resolution, for the reas tns which I took the 
libeny to suggest in my letter of the 2il instant.’-' 

rsotwithstanding the opposition of the honorable 
Delegate, Mr. M oodbury proceeded without delay 
to execute the duties imposed on him by the resolu¬ 
tion aforesaid; and upon the Sth of Januar}% he ad¬ 
dressed a letter to John P. Sheldon and William S. 
Hamilton, citizens of Iowa county, in the Terri- 
tor}’ of Wisconsin, desiring them to “undertake 
an examination into the condition of the Min¬ 
eral Point Bank,” and enclosing the necessary' in¬ 
structions. These gentlemen undenook the duty, 
and in due time reported to Mr. Woodbury the re¬ 
sult of their inquiries. Fortunately, those who 
were in charge of the bank did not'take the hint 
which the denunciation of the resolution passed by 
Congress was intended to convey to them; or per¬ 
haps they were ignorant themselves of a great por¬ 
tion of the frauds and villany which the DeUsate 
was anxious to conceal from public view. 

The rewrt of Messrs. Sheldon and Hamilton 
discloses the astounding fact, that Doty, while trea¬ 
surer of the board ol directors, and engaged in 
receiving subscriptions to the stock of the^Mineral 
Point Bank, drew up, and actually signed receipts 
jn his official capacity, acknowledging the pay- 
■ment to him of the whole capital required by law; 
more than S90,000 of which was certified to have 
been received “in gold.” One of these receipts ac¬ 
knowledges the payment to him on stock of $20,000 
“in American gold,” by James ^lorrison —the same 
man who assisted him in disposing of theSJO.OOO 
appropriated b}* Congress for the erection of public 
bnildings, who shares in his defalcations, and who 
is now the treasurer and depositary' of the public 
money of the Territory. The receipLs for tne re¬ 
maining “gold,” being upwards of 870,000, were 
written upon the back oi the certificates of stock. 
It is also shoycn that these receipts v;ere all false — 
a base and infamous fraud, an, infraction of the 
laic, and a criminal violation of his oaih —if, indeed, 
he took one, as required by law, before entering 
upon his duties as treasurer of the board. And 
this monstrous fraud is attempted to be palliated, on 
the ground that it was necessary to enable this 
man to supply the hard-working and confiding peo¬ 
ple of Wisconsin with an “abundant and conve¬ 
nient currency”!! 

The bank commenced operations in the fall of 
1S37; and it appears, by the account of the cashier, 
(JohnF. O'Neill.) that'the “golden” treasure which 
had been paid into the hands of “Treasurer Doty,” 
according to his receipts, had entirely disappeared. 
The cashier could exhibit nothing but a “beggarly 
account of empty boxes;” and from his statement, 
and the books of the institution, it appears that the 
whole amount paid in when the bank went into op¬ 
eration was 813,150 “in noles on several banks, and 
specie.’' Where was the certificate of deposite given 
by the cashier of the bank at Green Bay, which he 
imposed upon the commissioners as specie, in pay¬ 
ment of the first instalment upon his stock"? "SVas 
it forged for the occasion"? or was it really given for 


a portion of the amount appropriated by Congress 
for the Territory, and again withdrawn yvhen his 
purposes were answered? 

Sir, I will not occupy the time of this committee 
with a full detail of the conduct of this individual, 
yvhose elevation to his present position has inter¬ 
rupted the harmony and cast a gloom over the 
prospects of a young and flourishing Territory. I 
could exhibit him asa accepting and approv¬ 
ing improperly of the bonds of a sheriff; and after¬ 
wards as an attorney, taking advantage of his own 
wrong—as an attorney, employed in behalf of cer¬ 
tain Indians who had murdered our citizens—re¬ 
sorting to the most reprehensible and illegal means 
to obtain the liberation of the murderers, taking ad¬ 
vantage of the ignorance of a county judge, whom 
he persuaded to issue a writ of habeas corpus, yvhile 
he knew it could only be issued by a judge of the su¬ 
perior court. I could hold him up as a commis¬ 
sioner, appointed to select the reservations for the 
half-breeds and others belonging to the tribe of Win¬ 
nebago Indians, as provided by the treaty made at 
Prairie du Chien in 1829, departing from his instruc¬ 
tions and the terms of the treaty;—making selections 
of land, which, by his instructions and the terms of 
the treaty, he was' forbidden to make; thus rendering 
it necessary’ to appoint another commissioner, add¬ 
ing to the expenses of the Government, and causing 
great delay in the execution of the treaty. It seems 
that, of the forty sections which he selected for the 
reservees, but a single one was selected in pursuance 
of the treaty, or the instructions which he had re¬ 
ceived from the Government; and his compliance 
with the pro\isions of the treaty even in that in¬ 
stance, appears to have been the result of accident 
or perfidy, and occurred while in pursuit of a pri~ 
vcUe speculation! He agreed to select a particular 
section for a reservee who, with his family, was re¬ 
siding upon it at the time. It was a desirable lo¬ 
cation, and excited the cupidity of the honest com¬ 
missioner. He determined on possessing the land 
of the poor half-breed; he falsified his promise, se¬ 
lected an adjoining section for the reservee, and pur¬ 
chased for James D. Doty the section and home of 
the half-breed. I could refer to his course towards 
the judiciary of the Territory', since his appoint¬ 
ment as Governor—his threatening language and 
abuse of an upright and capable judge, because a 
jury in one of the courts where he presided thought 
proper to render a verdict against him for some ten 
or twelve hundred dollars; and I might notice his 
recent attempts to excite jealousies and discord be¬ 
tween the people of the Territory and the citizens of 
Illinois. But I forbear. I have said enough, and 
more than enough, to justify the motion -which I 
have made. 

Sir, let it not be said that these charges are made 
and put forth here in the absence of the individual 
implicated, and under circumstances that preclude 
any reply upon his part. Many of them have 
been subjects of legislative inquiry, and their truth 
established by official sanctions. They have been 
published in the newspapers of the Territory—re¬ 
iterated and endorsed by the people in their prima¬ 
ry assemblies—established in the most authentic 
manner, and laid before the Senate; and, finally, 
presented to the President, embodied in petitions; 
and, so far as I am informed, there has been neither 
answer nor denial. Nor let it be supposed or in¬ 
sinuated for a moment that they have had their 
origin in personal or political hostility. It is true 
le is a Whig, and, as such, during the contest of 
1840, assailed the late administration with great 



6 


violence; but the Whigs of that Territory are too 
honest—have too great a regard for public virtue 
to countenance villanies such as I have described, 
though in one professing similar political opinions 
vith themselves. All parties unite in demanding 
his removal; all ask to be relieved from the incubus 
which his appointment has cast upon their ener¬ 
gies and their hopes. To prove this, I send to the 
Chair the proceedings of a meeting, the original 
call for which, I have been told, was signed by 
some sixty-five Whigs of the Territor}", and which 
I desire the Clerk to read: 

MILWAUKEE COUNTi* WHIG MEETING. 

At a meeting of the Whigs of Milwaukee and its vicinity, 
held according i« previous notice, at the Court-House in .Mil¬ 
waukee, on the 26th day of June, 1841, Col. JAMES CLY- 
NAN was called to the Chair, and E. R. Collins elected Sec¬ 
retary. 

The object of the meeting having been explained at length, 
by Messrs. J. H. Tweedy and Wm. R. Longstreet— 

On motion of Mr. Longstreet, a committee of seven was ap¬ 
pointed by the chairman, for the purpose of preparing aud re¬ 
porting resolutions expressive of the views and senumeutsof 
the meeting. 

The committee consisted of J. H. Tweedy, Augustus Story, 
Joseph Ward, William R. Longstreet, William Brown, John 
Hustis, and Charles Hart, 

The committee, by their chairman, reported the following pre¬ 
amble and re.‘K)lutions: 

Whereas, to our great surprise and mortification, James Du¬ 
ane Doty has been nominated to the office of Governor of this 
Territory by John Tyler, President of the United States, shortly 
after his induction into office; and 

Whereas the President is liable to be deceived in regard to 
the character and qualifications of every applicant for office; 
and has, as we believe, been especially misinformed as to the 
claims and character of James Duane Doty, our present Execu¬ 
tive; and 

Whereas President Tyler, in the honest discharge of his du¬ 
ties, has invited a rigid scrutiny into the character and preten¬ 
sions of every person whom he may have nominated for office; 
and 

Whereas, from recent information, we are induced to believe 
that the nomination of the said Doty will be for some time 
withheld from the Senate, on account of serious charges having 
been preferred against him; and that we may yet have an op¬ 
portunity to be heard at Washington on the subject of this ap¬ 
pointment; and 

Whereas, we have discovered that said Doty, in order to 
repel those charge and sustain his character, has been insidi¬ 
ously and industriously soliciting the support of the Whigs in 
various portions of the Territory : therefore, 

Resolved, That it is both the duty and the policy of every 
true Whig of Wisconsin, acquainted with the history and char¬ 
acter of the nominee for the of^ce of Governor of this Territory, 
to avail himself of the opportunity afforded by the honesty and 
magnanimity of President Tyler, and to express fully and fear¬ 
lessly his views and sentiments in regard to an appointment so 
important to the citizens of our Territory, and to the integrity 
of the Whig party in Wisconsin. 

Resolved, That we most cordially approve of the language, 
in the recent message of President Tyler, inviting, “ on the part 
of the Senate, a jusrscrutiny into the character a’nd pretensions 
of eve^ person” whom the President might “ bring to their 
notice in the regular form of a nomination for office ;” and we 
honor him for his manliness in the exhibition of cheerfulness 
on his part to acquiesce in the decision of that body. 

Resolved, That if the Senate of the United States will follow 
up such invitation with a corresponding disposition to purify 
the offices of the General Government, the floodgates of official 
profligacy will be at once closed, and a safe barr'er raised 
against that almost universal tide of defalcation which, for the 
last six years, has been sweeping away the public money, dis¬ 
gracing the character of the American people, and was fast 
wearing away the foundation of public and private morality. 

Resolved, That we view with scorn and abhorrence such a 
spirit as that manifested on the part of a late Senator of the 
United States, who strongly recommended to the Secretary of 
the Treasury the continuance in office of a public defaulter, in 
consideration of the political influence and the number of friends 
of such defaulter; concluding his disgraceful recommendation 
with ^'better let him be.'* 

Resolved, as the sense of this meetinsr. That the appointment 
of James Duane Doty as Governor of Wisconsin is repugnant 
to the wishes of a large majority of the Whigs of this Territory; 
that he has failed to redeem the promises which he made 
through his friends at and since his last election of Delegate to 
Congress, of paying over all balances due from him to this 
Territory; and that, conscious of his exposure to the just resent¬ 



ment of the people of Wisconsin, he comes back among us with 
feelings of vindictive hostility against t^cse who, in the per¬ 
formance of the duties of good citizens, have felt themselves 
constrained to expose his character; and that we fear that no 
act of his hereafter can adequately atone for his violation of a 
high public trust and an abuse of the liberality of Congress. 

Resolved, That by two acts of Congress. pas.sedorie in 1636 
and the other in 1638, S40.000 were gra'nted by Congress, to be 
expended by the Governor and Legislative Assembly, in the 
construction of public buildings at the seal of Government of 
this Territory; 

That, in pursuance of an act of our Legislative Assembly, 
approved December 3d, 1336, James D. Doty was elected by 
said Assembly one of three commissioners, constituting a board 
of public buildings, and soon after, by said commissioners, 
treasurer of said board; and, assuming to discharge said office, 
did receive from the Treasury of the United States the sum of 
$40,000, to hold the same subject to be drawn for expenditure in 
the construction of public buildings, under the diiection of our 
Legislative Assembly: 

Tnatsaid Doty, as treasurer, with his associates, remained in 
office until the 8ib day of .March, 1839, when they were re- 
moved by the Leeislative .Assembly, for official misconduct ; 

That during his continuance in said office, the sum of $13,000 
was expended contrary to law, and in a manner reckless and 
extravagant; that more than $7,000 was unlawfully overpaid 
to a public contractor; and that at the end of his term of office, 
after giving credit and making the most liberal allowance for all 
pretended public expenditures, however extravagan' or illegal, 
he was a delinquent to the Territory in the sum of $7,000 and 
upwards; 

That from the said Sth day of March, 1839, until the present 
time, during the period of more than two years, said Doty, al¬ 
though repe^atedly requested and directed by law, has failed and 
refused to render an account of his acts as Treasurer aforesaid, 
ei her to the Legislative Assembly, or to his successors in office, 
for that purpose duly authorized by law; and has also always 
failed and refused to pay over to the proper officers of the 
Territory any part of the moneys for which he was delinquent: 

That, under the directions of the Legislature, his successors 
in office did, in 8eptember, 1839, commence suit against .^aid 
Doty and his sureties, on his official bond as Treasurer, in order 
to recover the public moneys; and that said suit has been con¬ 
tinued from term to term of court, without trial, at the instance 
of the counsel of said Doty, on the suggestion ef his absence 
from the Territory as Delegate in Congress; and that he has 
thus managed, up to this time, to prevt nt a trial, and to evade a 
verdict of a jury and a judgment of a court, recording his official 
delinquency: 

That the pretexts set up by said Doty, in palliation of this his 
official conduct, have been frivolous, evasive, a.od inconsistent; 
showing at different times a defiance of the laws, a derision and 
contempt of the authority of our Legislature, and a shameless 
disregard of decency; 

That the evidences of the facts are derived from acts of 
Congress and of our Legislative Assembly; from numerous 
and concurrent reports of committees, and public officers of our 
I.egislature, on file and pub'ished, supported by the sworn tes¬ 
timony of unimpeachable witnesses; and from the many ad- 
mi.'^sions of the party charged, in letters and documents made 
public: 

That in view of these facts, .supported by evidence so abun¬ 
dant and undeniable, we, Whigs of Wisconsin, do feel our¬ 
selves justified and bound by a sense of duty to ourselves, to 
our Whig brethren of the Union, and to the administration of the 
National Government, whose policy and measures we support, 
to declare and preclaim James D. Doty, the present Executive, 
to be, as a high public officer of our Territory, a public de¬ 
faulter for a large sum of money, and under circumstances 
of ihe most aggravated guilt and moral turpitude. 

Resolved, That it is our duty here to n ake known that state¬ 
ments have been prevalent, charging James D. Doty with 
bribery and corruption in the exercise of his duties as a judge 
of the United States for the Territory of Michigan, on the trial 
of an Indian chief for murder; and also charging him with 
being party to a fraud on the United States Treasury, in aiding 
and procuring the allowance of a fraudulent land claim: 

That these acts, as charged, must have occurred, if at all, 
many years ago. in the infancy and obscurity of our Territory, 
and could not have come under the cognizance of many of the 
present citizens of the Territory: 

That we are informed that these charges, properly suhrtanti- 
ated, have been, or will be, lodged in the Departments atWash- 
ington; 

That ihese chaiges have been so frequently and distinctly 
presented by men of the highest character, and never (to our 
knowledge) disproved or refuted, that we cannot but believe 
that they re.'st on some foundation of truth. 

Resolved. That we shall ever fearlessly re-jent and repudi¬ 
ate that policy, which is by some s«renuou.sly inculcated, and by 
others dastardly acceded to, that fidelity to the Whig party re- 
quire.s submission and adherence to our new Executive. 

Resolved, That in no part of his political history—in no act 




of his public life—in no public or private expression of his 
sentiments, have we ever recognisetl the defence of a principle 
or the avowal of a sentiment dear to the great Whig party of 
the Union. 

Resolved, That, as Whigs, we acknowledge no fraternity of 
political sentiments and opinions with our newly a pointed Go 
vernor, who repeatedly, within the last two years, has autho¬ 
rized his friends of the Loco foco party in Wisconsin to pro¬ 
claim him as friendly to the administration of Mr. Van JJuren— 
that he never united with the Whig party until its success was 
certain ; but we believe that in politics, as well as in morals, his 
principles hang loosely about him—that he has been till things 
to all men, with the single purpose of securing for himself the 
favor of whichever party might be dominant. 

Resolved, That we most earnestly invite an independent 
expression of the W'higs of this Territory in relation to the cha¬ 
racter of this appointment, wliich we deplore as a dangerous 
precedent, injurious to the best interests of the Territory, and 
dangerous to the union of the Whig party of Wisconsin. 

Resolved, That no dilference ol opinion among the Whigs 
of Wisconsin, in relation to the character of Governor Doty, is 
good ground for division among the Whigs on other issues; 
and that in the approaching election of Delegate to Congress, 
the Whigs of the Territory are invoiced to rafly to a man in de¬ 
fence of theit long cherished principles, now rendered doubly 
dear since the President has given practical evidence oftheir 
purity and of his determination to maintain them in all their 
purity. 

Resolved, That the proceedings of this meeting he signed 
by the oHicers, and sent to theediFors of the several Whig pa¬ 
pers in the Territory for publication, and be published in 
handbills; and that copies be forwarded to the P resident o( the 
United States, to the members of the cabinet, and to the several 
members of Congress. 

Which bring read, were unanimously adopted. 

Upon motion of Mr. J. II. Tweedy, a committee of three were 
appointed by the chairman, to prepare a remonstrance embody¬ 
ing the charges and facts submitted in the resolutions, and have 
the same circulated for signatures. 

Messrs, ilustis, Story, and Tweedy, were appointed said com¬ 
mittee. 

During the meeting, several addresses were made supporting 
the resolutions. 

Upon motion of Mr. Longstreet, the meeting adjnurned. 

JAMES CLYMAN, Chairinan. 

E. R. Collins, Secretary. 


Though failing to prevent the confirmation of 
his appointment by the Senate, before which body 
those proceedings were laid, but perhaps never read, 
the people of the Territory have been no less active 
in seeking to be relieved from the intolerable bur¬ 
den and disgrace under which they feel themselves 
to be laboring. They continue to meet in primary 
assemblies, and are now sending in their petitions 
to the Chief IVfagistrate of the Union. A paper 
containing one of these petitions, which appears to 
have been approved and unanimously adopted by a 
large and respectable meeting of the western coun¬ 
ties, composed exclusively of Whigs, has come into 
my hands, and which I also send to the Chair; 

From the Wisconsin W’^hig. 

WHIG MEETING. 

At an adjourned meeting of the Whigs of the counties of 
Iowa and Grant, convened at Belmont, on Saturday the 20th 


November, 1841— , , i. • 

Col. CORNELIUS DE LONG, of Iowa, took the chair; 
and Captain W. Davidson, of Grant, was appointed secretary. 
On motion, it was unanimously , . , , 

Resolved, That this meeting cordially respond to the call ad¬ 
dressed to the Whig citizens of Iowa and Grant counties, on 
the 2d instant, for the purpose of taking some steps for an in- 
vesti^'ation by the President of the United States into numerous 
acts °which it is publicly alleged have been committed by 
James Duane Doty, the Governor of this Teriiiory. 

On motion, . . 

Resolved, That a committee of three persons be appointed 
by the Chair, to prepare a petition to the President of the United 
States staling the charges ilial are publicly made against James 
Duane Doty, and soliciting the President for a fair and full in- 
yestigaiion into these charges. 

It was lurther . 

Resolved, That the said committee prepare resolutions ex 
pressive of the sense of this meeting. . j 

The Chairman appointed Chas. Bracken, Alonzo Platt, and 
Stephen B. Thrasher, Esquires, said committee; who, after re 
tiring, returned and presented by iheirchairmaii,Cha*. Brack 
«0, the follotving pehlioa: 


To his Excellency John Tyler, 

President of the United States, 

The petition of the undersigned, citizens of the Territory of 

Wisconsin, i espectfu Iiy represents: 

That the appointment of James D. Doty as Governor of 
Wisconsin is, in our opinion, in opposition to, and contrary to 
the will and wishes of, a large majority of the citizens of the 
Teriitory. 

In approaching your Excellency at thepre.«ienttime, andso- 
liciting the removal of one so lately appointed to a highly im- 
poriant office, in which he has been confirmed by a co-ordinate 
branch of the Government, your petitioners would, in justice 
to themselves, remark, that, owing to the particular and point¬ 
ed manner in which your Excellency, in your message to Con¬ 
gress of the 1st of June last, inviting the scrutiny of the Senate 
into the character and pretensions of eveiy person whom you 
might bring to their notice, in the regular form of nomination 
for office, deemed it unnecessary, while the nomination of Gov. 
Doty was pending before the Senate, to take any steps in the 
shape of remonstrance; being assured tliat proofs, properly au¬ 
thenticated, had been laid before that body, establishing the 
facts, that James D. Doty had, in his capacity as a jadge, a 
lawyer, and public agent in this Territory, commitietUacts 
which, instead of entitling him to its highest office, ought to 
bring on liim the contempt of all honest men. Resting satis¬ 
fied, therefore, that he could not pass the ordeal which your 
Excellency had attempted to establish in the Senate, i o action 
was thought necessary on the part of the whole people of this 
Territory, and we heard, with mortification, at the very last 
hour of the session of Congress, that one whose honesty was 
questioned, and whose chicanery was notorious, had been fas¬ 
tened on us by a United States Senate, as our Executive. 

In petitidningyour Excellency for a fair and full investigation 
into numerous acts of which it is alleged that Gov. Doty has 
been guilty, we afford him an opportunity of appearing before 
ail umpire who will derive no gratification from a discovery that 
one who had been nominated to a high trust was unworthy of 
the confidence which had been reposed in him; and, with the 
wish that he may establish to the satisfaction of your Excel¬ 
lency, the people of Wisconsin, and the world, that he “is a 
man more sinned against than sinning,'’ we would most re¬ 
spectfully ask inquiry into the following charges: 

First .—That Gen. Jackson did, for causes not political, re¬ 
fuse to re appoint him United States district judge for the 
Western District of Michigan, (now Wisconsin,) and that the 
facts on which the refusal was based are now on file at Wash¬ 
ington city. 

Second .—That .lames D. Doty, being employed by certain ci¬ 
tizens of Green Hay to procure pre-emptions for them as settlers 
on the public lands,conspired with one Laventure,alias Meldrum, 
to defraud the Government, by claiming two pre emptions, one in 
the proper, the other in the nickname of the said Laventure. 
The specification is, that the said .lames D. Doty did take two 
deeds—one from La venture,the other from Meldrum—being both 
one and the same man—for one-fourth part of each tract of land, 
one of which was to be fraudulently obtained of the Government. 
The facts in the case will more fully appear by the records of 
Brown county. 

Third .—That the said .lames D. Doty, while acting as judge 
of the United Slates District Court for the Territory of Michi¬ 
gan, in the year 1829, approved of the bond of one Hays, the 
sheriff of Crawford county, without the said sheriff’s name or 
signature being affixed thereto; and shortly afterwards, while 
acting as a practising attorney, and as counsel for the securi¬ 
ties of said Hays, in an action brought against them for the de¬ 
fault of their principal, procured the said bond to be set aside 

for want of the said sheriff ’s signature thereto. 

«*•«««« 

Pi/fA.—That the said James D. Doty did, as treasurer of the 
fund appropriated byCongre.«s for the erection of a capitol in 
this Territory, use those funds to monopolize the capital stock 
of the Bank of Mineral Point, putting the said hank in opera¬ 
tion without the capital slock having been paid in as required 
by law; and, as president of said bank, violating his oath, by 
making a false endorsement on the certificates of stock, to wit: 
'•'•Received forty per cent, in American gold;” vifxe’o \i does 
appear by the affidavits of.Tames Morrison and John F.O’Niell, 
both of them bank directors at the time, that the forty per 
cent, received was part paid in current bank paper, and part 
in specie! ! ! 

Sixth.—T\\a.i the said James D. Doty, as treasurer afore¬ 
said, is now a defaulter to the Territory, and retains in his hands 
a portion of said fund, in violation of law; refusing either to ac¬ 
count or refund, but using eveiy delay and device of law to 
avoid the payment; and that in consequence of the aforesaid 
conduct of the said Doty, the Territory has been without a 
public building suitable for the public necessities, or rather 
with one but partially completed. 

Eighth: That since the induction of the said .Tames D. Doty 
into the office of Governor, he has, in contravention of law, be¬ 
fore the term of oiRce expired, and oo the merest pretence of in» 








formality in qualifying for the duties of the appointment, re¬ 
moved li. L. Ream, the Treasurer of the Territory, from oltice, 
and at)pointcd in his stead James Morrison, an individual 
against whom there were then pending two or more suits for an 
alleged indebiedness of several thousand dollars to the Territory, 
in which the Territory is plaintiff, and the said Morrison, in one 
case tis principal, and in the other as security lor Governor 
Doty, is defendant; thereby, in the event of a judgment in favor 
of the Territory, (of which there can be scarcely a doubt,) 
making the said Morrison the recipient of money to be paid 
from himselfto himself; paymentofwhich moneys he has here¬ 
tofore resisted for more than two years. 

Ninih .—That the said James D. Doty has also, since his in¬ 
duction into office, appointed to the oflice of Attorney General 
of the Territory a person whom he had employed as his attor¬ 
ney to defend a suit brought by the Territory against him, 
the said James D. Doty, for the recovery of a large sum 
of money which had been received by him while acting 
as treasurer of the fund for the erection of the public build¬ 
ings, and retained in his hands illegally. Thus placing it 
at the discretion of his own hired attorney to withdiaw or pro¬ 
secute said suits, at his option. 

We, therefore, pray your Excellency to give to our petition 
that consideration which the high station of the accused and 
the magnitude of the charges require. 

And, as in duty bound, your petitioners will everpray. 

Nove?fiber2\, 1841. 

'I'he petition having been read, was unanimously adopted. 
The chairman of the committee then submitted the following 
resolutions: 

Resolved, Th.at the citizens of this Territory, in soliciting 
the President of the United States for a fair and fnlT investiga¬ 
tion into numerous acts of which James Duane Doty, the Gov¬ 
ernor of Wisconsin, has been publicly accused, think that it 
is no more than an act of justice towards Governor Doty; for, 
if “armed with conscious innocence,” purity of intention will 
bring him scathless through the ordeal by which we wish him 
tried. 

And whereas it has been publicly stated, that while the no¬ 
mination of James Duane Doty as Governor of this Territory 
was pending in the Senate, it was stated on the floor of 
that body that he had been twice elected as Delegate to Con¬ 
gress by the people of Wisconsin; that it was strong presump¬ 
tive evidence th;it he was not only guiltless of the numerous 
charges alleged against him, but that it was also proof that he 
was the choice of the people of the Territory as their Governor: 
Therefore— 

Resolved, That, with all due deference to the Sentite of 
the United States, this meeting give it as their deliberate 
opinion, that before any competent judicial tribunal, nor at the 
polls of this Territory, can the ground assumed by the majority 
of the Senate be maintained—that James Duane Doty is either 
guiltless of the numerous acts alleged against him, or that he is 
the choice of the people of this Territory as their Governor. 

Be it further 

Resolved, That the meeting are constrained to believe that 
James Duane Doty owes his confirmation by the Senate, as Go¬ 
vernor of this Territory, more to the important business which 
exclusively occupied the attention of Congress at its late extra 
ordinary session, than to his honesty, integrity, or to any di.sin- 
terested services which he may have rendered the people of 
the Territory in any public station he has occupied. 

Resolved, That the proceedings of this meeting be published 
in the Wisconsin Whig; and all other independent papers of the 
Territory be requested to copy and publish the same. 

On motion, it was then 

Resolved, That the meeting do now adjourn. 

C. DE LONG, Chairman. 

W. Davidson, Secretary. 

Belmont, November 20 1841. 

Sir, I ask gentlemen—I ask this committee—if 
we should countenance such a monster in iniquity, 
by appropriating for his support the money of the 
people 1 Are we bound to feed and maintain him 
in his present responsible and elevated situation 
over a people whom he has robbed, plundered, and 
outraged, because he succeeded in deceiving and 
imposing upon Pre.sident Tyler, or rendered an 
acceptable service to the “ greatest mind of the 
gge V’ It has been more than surmised—it has been 


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intimated in several responsible journals of the day 
—that a certain service was rendered; .that lands 
lying in Wisconsin and Illinois were certified to be 
worth igil 00,000, and a debt therewith to that amount 
paid to the Bank of the United States; while, like 
the other assets of that institution, they are lound to 
be of little value, and the widows and orphans 
made to sustain the loss. It is certain that the 
man who, as treasurer of the bank at Mineral 
Point, certified to the payment of S00,000 in “ gold,’' 
when but a little over $13,000 (and that principally 
in “ rags”) were received, was admirably qualified 
for such a service. If there be any truth in these 
intimations, will not the apprehensions of exposure 
cause the same influence that procured his appoint¬ 
ment to be exerted to maintain him in power, and 
thus prevent his removal in any other way than 
that proposed by the motion which I havm made 1 
In conclusion, Mr. Chairman, let us turn from 
this humiliating picture of human nature, and in¬ 
quire for a moment who it was that was removed to 
make room for this man. When the Western 
frontiers were invaded by the savage hordes of the 
wilderness, and the progress of civilization retard¬ 
ed for a time by the tomahawk and scalping-knife, 
who was it that exposed his life and endured the 
most extraordinary hardships in defending the 
home and the fireside of the emigrantl Who was 
it that met in mortal combat and arrested the ca¬ 
reer of the murderous but brave and intrepid Black 
Hawk, and first causedthe sound of our cannon to be 
heard on the other side of the Rocky Mountains^ 
Who commanded the volunteers at the memorable 
battle of Wisconsin Heights, where, sustained on 
either side by one of his own youth fill but gallant 
sons, he occupied the post of danger, and vanquish¬ 
ed a superior foe with the loss of a single manl 
Who led on the charge at Bad Axe, and shed such 
lustre upon the valor of his countrjunen at Peeka- 
tonika, where not a solitary man of the enemy sur¬ 
vived to relate the incidents of the fatal conflict'? 
The name of GENERAL DODGE is identified 
with the history and glory of the West, and will 
ever be held in grateful remembrance by a people 
whom his chivalry and valor have defended from 
cruelty and death. Selected for that purpose by 
President Jackson, he explored the vast regions of 
wilderness on this side the Oregon, at the head 
of his invincible dragoons; visited and entered into 
treaties of amity with numerous tribes of Indians 
hitherto unknown; released the whites that were 
found in captivity, and restored peaee, order, and 
quietude upon the whole line of the frontier. His 
extraordinary services and signal success drew 
from General Gaines, the commander of the divis¬ 
ion, a letter recommending him to the notice of 
Congress, and suggesting that a sword be presented 
him as a token of the national gratitude. Honored 
and esteemed by the people, though proscribed by 
the President, he was chosen by the citizens of 
Wisconsin to represent their interests upon this 
floor, where he has again had the pleasure of meet¬ 
ing one of those sons who fought by his side at Wis¬ 
consin Heights, and who has been honored with a 
similar trust from the Territory of Iowa. Such is 
an example of the “reform” which is practised by 
this Administration. 



